Warriors: Broken Threads 1: Wrath of the Storm
by XxBlazestormxX
Summary: With the Dark Forest rising to destroy the Clans once more, StarClan in last hope place a power into a kit in hopes that she can break through the dark to find the light. Amberkit has no knowledge of her power, and only hopes to become the best warrior she can. But with the Dark Forest interfering in ways that even StarClan can't guess, can Amberkit become what she needs to be?
1. Allegiances

**XxBlazestormxX here! This is a new series I'm creating about a kit named Amberkit. I hope you enjoy, and any comments, questions and concerns can be addressed in a review or a pm.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, just these cats, the Clans and the plot. Erin Hunter owns the overall idea, as you all know…**

**Allegiances **

**TreeClan**

**Leader: **Leafstar- light brown tabby she-cat with golden/amber eyes.** mate- Thunderstrike**

**Deputy:** Blossomberry- silvery with dark, smoky blue stripes along the length of her unusually small body with hazy blue eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Darkwhisper- long furred grey she-cat with blue eyes

**Warriors:**

Petalnose- mottled grey she-cat with yellow eyes** Mate- Volefoot**

Fernwhisker- brown tabby she-cat with brown eyes.

Sandfur- ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes

Lightfur- creamy white she-cat with hazel eyes  
**app. Falconpaw**

Thunderstrike- a dark brown tabby with black stripes** Mate- Leafstar**

Rainshadow- black tom with yellow eyes **Mate- Lilyfire**

Brackenleaf- golden brown tabby tom with gold eyes

Applebreeze-ginger tabby she-cat with ambe0r eyes

Dragonsong- black and white she-cat with hazel eyes

Smokefur- tiny black tom with yellow eyes  
**app. Granitepaw**

Oakbreeze- a brown tabby with bright yellow eyes

Cinderflight- grey she-cat with hazel eyes

Foxstripe- tortoiseshell tom with reddish splotches and yellow eyes** Mate- Dovefoot**  
**app. Ashpaw**

Goldenshine- golden brown pelt that glows brightly in the sun, and golden eyes

Sunheart- golden white she-cat with grey eyes

Firestone- strong tabby ginger and brown tom with forest green eyes

Volefoot- Brownish red mottled tom with yellow flecked eyes** Mate- Petalnose**  
**app. Wolfpaw**

Whitepelt- a pure white tom with green eyes **mate- Daisyflower**

Eaglegaze- black and white tome with a white streak on his forehead and green/yellow eyes

**Apprentices:**

Falconpaw-a mottled brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes

Granitepaw- dark grey tom with green eyes

Ashpaw- black tom with yellow eyes

Wolfpaw-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a wolf-like tail

**Queens:**

Daisyflower- a mottled dark grey and brown she-cat with hazel eyes  
**Mate- Whitepelt Kits- Birdkit**

Lilyfire- golden she-cat with golden eyes  
**Mate- Rainshadow Kits- Amberkit and Emberkit**

Dovefoot- black she-cat with white paws and yellow eyes  
**Mate- Foxstripe Kits: Nightkit, Rosekit**

**Kits:**

Birdkit- pretty ginger and white she-cat with golden eyes

Amberkit- golden she-cat with golden eyes. Takes after her mother

Emberkit- fluffy grey and white she-cat with big blue eyes

Nightkit- a black she-cat with a white chest and yellow eyes

Rosekit- Lovely tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Elders:**

Duststorm- black and white tom with green eyes. Oldest tom in the clan Kits: Dovefoot, Eaglegaze

Hollowstorm- mottled brown tabby she-cat with brown eyes. Oldest she-cat in the clan Kits: Firestone, Fernwhisker

**MarshClan**

**Leader:** Blossomstar- pale creamy brown tabby she-cat with emerald green eyes **mate- Fishnose**

**Deputy:** Ripplebreeze- silvery-black tom with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Dreamwhisker- a pretty grey and silver she-cat with irresistible blue eyes  
**app. Birchpaw**

**Warriors:**

Reedpelt- a light brown and ginger tom with blue eyes **mate- Swiftstrike**

Speckledfrost- a black and white she-cat with grey eyes  
**app. Yellowpaw**

Troutstreak- a grey and white tom with a dark gray forehead and pale yellow eyes **mate- Streamstreak **

Owlstream- a black tom with yellow eyes

Blackpelt- a pure black tom with greenish eyes

Brookfall- a lithe gray and silver she-cat with yellow eyes and puffy fur.

Fishnose- a golden brown tabby tom with gray eyes **mate- Blossomstar **

Mossystrike- a tortoiseshell she-cat with pale brown eyes**  
app. Brackenpaw**

Minnowfire- a pale black and white she-cat with a black tail and grey eyes  
**app. Poppypaw**

Redfeather- a grey and brown mottled tabby she-cat with green eyes

Streamstreak- a tortoiseshell she-cat with brown eyes **mate- Troutstreak**

Hawknose- a grey/brown tabby tom with green eyes **mate- Mintfrost**

Pouncefrost- a grey tabby tom with a white chest, paws and blue eyes

Riverleap- a silvery brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentices:**

Birchpaw- handsome brown tabby tom with green eyes

Yellowpaw- a ginger and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Poppypaw- cream she-cat with brown stripes

Brackenpaw- grey tabby tom with green eyes

**Queens:**

Swiftstrike- a ginger and white she-cat **mate- Reedpelt kits- Otterkit **(a young brown and white tom) **and Mistkit** (a pretty brown she-cat with a white ear and face)

Mintfrost- a fluffy cream colored she-cat with green eyes **mate- Hawknose kits- Littlekit** ( grey tom with green eyes) **and Cloudkit **(a sleek silver she-cat with green eyes)

**Elders:**

Weasellight- a tabby tom with green eyes

Evestrike- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**StoneClan**

**Leader:** Flamestar- a ginger tabby tom with green eyes

**Deputy**: Goldenstone- a golden brown tabby tom with big golden eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Moonshadow- a silvery gray she-cat with blue eyes. Her pelt shines black in the moon.

**Warriors:**

Blackclaw- a pure black tom  
**app. Echopaw**

Whitefur- a pure white she-cat **mate- Kestrelwing**

Adderfang- a gray and white tom with blue eyes

Greystorm- a silvery tom with blue eyes  
**app. Tinypaw**

Kestrelwing- a light brown tom **mate- Whitefur**

Rainstorm- a grey and white she-cat with green eyes

Petalfall- a tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes  
**app. Cloverpaw**

Ravenpelt- a black and white tabby tom with grey eyes

Honeytooth- a ginger and brown tabby she-cat with golden eyes  
**app. Tumblepaw**

Windfur- a golden brown tabby she-cat with golden eyes

Waterstreak- an extremely light gray tom cat with light blue eyes **mate- Mottledfur**

Coldfrost- gray tabby tom with a white face and chest; deep blue eyes** mate- Lightstream**  
**app. Willowpaw**

**Apprentices:**

Echopaw- a yellow eyed brown tabby she-cat

Tinypaw- a grey and brown tabby tom with green eyes

Cloverpaw- a glossy white she-cat with striking blue eyes

Tumblepaw- a grey tom with blue eyes

Willowpaw- a brown and white she-cat with grayish/yellow tinged eyes

**Queens:**

Mottledfur- a light brown mottled Bengal she-cat **mate- Waterstreak kit- Rockkit**(a Bengal tom)

Lightstream- a tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes **mate- Coldfrost kits- Blizzardkit**(a light gray tabby tom streaked with white)** and Flitterkit**(a tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow/green eyes)

**Elders:**

Rabbitleap- a brown she-cat with dark brown flecks and green eyes

Stonestripe: a silvery grey tom with gold eyes

Rustleleaf- a brown she-cat with dark brown stripes and amber/golden eyes

**RussetClan**

**Leader:** Hollystar- a grey tabby she-cat with a white chest and pale green eyes

**Deputy:** Icepelt- a white tom with green eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Junipersong- a grey she-cat with yellow eyes

**Warriors:**

Leopardspots- a golden spotted she-cat with brown eyes **mate- Blazeburn**

Longwhisker- a light gray tabby she-cat with pale green eyes and very long whiskers

Sunstream- a golden she-cat with a white paw and pale green eyes

Ebonyclaw- a white tom with black stripes and gray eyes

Crowcloud- a gray and brown tabby tom with yellow eyes  
**app. Cloudpaw**

Dewfoot- a dark gray tom with blue eyes

Flameheart- a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Goldenstripe- a golden brown tabby she-cat with golden eyes

Nightshade- a gray and dark gray tabby with light blue eyes **mate- Heatherpool**

Squirrelstorm- a brown and white she-cat with amber eyes  
**app. Auburnpaw**

Burnpelt- a yellow eyed gray tabby tom with badly singed fur  
**App. Brightpaw**

Blazeburn- a blue eyed black tom with badly singed fur **mate- Leopardspots**

**Apprentices:**

Cloudpaw- a black tom with one white foot

Auburnpaw- a brown tabby she-cat with big black stripes on her legs and yellow eyes

Brightpaw- a brown tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes

**Queens:**

Heatherpool- a ginger colored she-cat with yellow eyes **mate-Nightshade kits- Berrykit**(a golden/ginger tabby tom with gold eyes)**, Moonkit**(a black she-cat)** and Tansykit**(a strangely colored tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Elders:**

Sorrelheart- a tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes and a biting attitude

Tawnymist- a black she-cat with misted brown spots on her pelt. Is deaf in one ear

**I was told that any chapter submitted for any story must have some sort of written portion if the chapter is only a list. So here's a sneak peek of a new one-shot that I hope to be posting soon:**

There are many things in life that can cause a cat to become irritable and angry. For every cat, it depends on who they are. One thing that caused Cloudpaw to become irrational was seeing any cat get picked on. The white LeafClan apprentice hated to see the drooping tails of dejected, heartbroken cats, cats being made fun of, cats who thought they were worthless not because it was true but because someone drilled it into their brains.

Cloudpaw remembered seeing a cat like that. As a kit, he had frequented the forest though he wasn't allowed. On one of his trips he noticed a bunch of rogues teaming up on a little she-cat, teasing her, berating her for her size, gender, things over which she didn't have control. He had watched as she lashed out, angry and annoyed, and he gasped as the blood of her antagonists rained upon the grasses beneath her. He had gone home that day and simply sat in his moss nest, unable to move or think.

And now, as he watched this new victim, Pricklepaw, a small gray tom, being teased and degraded by two new warriors, cats that used to be his friends, he felt an overwhelming urge to protect the little tom, to spare him the fate of the rogue. In response, he padded over to the trio, hoping to solve the crisis without any blood being shed by the innocent young tom.

As he approached, the two warrior looked up and gave him welcoming smiles. The first one, a dark brown tom by the name of Volepelt, gave Cloudpaw a little nudge as he went to stand in front of the other apprentice.

**...to be continued! I will post it soon, but until then, I don't want to give too much away!**


	2. Prologue

BTWOTS Prologue

**Here's the prologue of the story I've been meaning to continue. I hope you enjoy it. Chapter 1 will be here shortly.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Warriors Series or claim rights to anything but the characters and plot that I am using now. Erin Hunter owns the rest!**

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, dappling in patches of yellow on the forest floor. The light shined on the backs of two cats, who were dashing over the leaves and sticks to a small, vine-enclosed area underneath a rather large juniper bush. One of them, a small mottled grey and white she-cat, slithered quickly under the bush, using her body to shove aside the vines.

She emerged on the other side to a small, grassy clearing. Four other cats were quietly mingling in front of a noisy waterfall encircled by an array of stones. A mottled dark brown tom, Beetlestar, conversed in soft tones with a black and white tom named Smallstar, as they watched another two cats engaging once more in their never-ending argument.

The two cats having the argument seemed close to coming to claws over their disagreement. One, a pure black she-cat, stood, tail lashing in annoyance.

"There's no way those herbs would work well together. Seriously Lilystem, just drop it and admit that you're wrong!" The aforementioned tortoiseshell she cat snorted, leaping to her paws as well.

"Listen Evefur, just because you fail with your experiments with herbs doesn't mean mine won't work. I'm telling you, lavender and white willow bark work perfectly fine together. It's not like I used them on a kit. I tested them on myself! They worked perfectly, and made me feel better faster." Evefur gave Lilystem an exasperated look.

"Lilystem you aren't supposed to test herbs on yourself. If they react badly, you could be left injured, and then who will the Clan have as a medicine cat?" Beetlestar finally stood to his feet and padded over to the two she-cats.

"You two are arguing like newly named apprentices. Come. Leaftail and Gingerspots are here, and now our gathering shall begin." The three cats jumped down from the fallen log and padded over to the circle of rocks by the waterfall. The gray and white she-cat and her ginger companion moved forward, taking a seat by the rocks as well. Smallstar flicked his paw as a gesture for the gray and white she-cat to begin.

"I brought you all here so that we could discuss the upcoming problem with the Dark Forest. Once more they near our boarders, beating against the weakening shields between the dark and the light. There have been sightings of many cats, staring into our territory with undisguised hatred. I fear they begin to gain power, and that they will soon try to fight us once more." Beetlestar waved a paw in dismissal of her words.

"Leaftail, they have been sending us looks of hatred for centuries. Our shields are strong, and they are weak. Do not have so little faith in StarClan. Our borders will hold as they always have and always will." The black she cat gave him a glare.

"You should not have so little faith in the power of evil, Beetlestar. Do not forget that they have the power to rise, and have done it before! When evil stews long enough, it festers and grows in might, until eventually it regains its power just for a brief moment. That moment is enough for them. They see their time coming, and they will take full advantage of this. We cannot let them rise." Gingerspots wrapped her tail around her paws in thought, before slowly responding.

"Did you notice how hard it is becoming to speak to the medicine cats and leaders? Just two days ago I tried speaking to Darkwhisper, yet she wouldn't wake from the dream she was having. Usually she is the first cat to jump awake! I fear they have been sneaking around behind our pelts more than we realize." Evefur paused for a moment, before jumping to her paws. Before she could speak however, Lilystem broke in.

"While I agree with you, Gingerspots, and you as well Evefur, I have to add that Beetlestar does have a point. How are we to know how these evil Dark Forest cats act? How do we know if anything is truly happening? What if they want us to become paranoid so that later, when we finally drop our guard, they can strike fast and hard! It could be a ploy." The tortoiseshell she-cat flicked her ear in acknowledgement.

"It could just be a mind game. These cats, loathe as I am to admit it, are not mouse-brains. They do know what they're doing. It's what made them such formidable enemies in the past. However, if they are gaining in power, it is better for us to act now rather than regret our silence later. What we decide to do today must be for the good of the future of all the Clans." The tortoiseshell licked the back of her black paw and stared down the other cats. They all contemplated that statement for a moment, until with a sigh the black- and white tom sat up once more.

"Lilystem, I can agree, but I for one am not the type to act without solid proof. I believe our best bet will be to wait a little bit longer. We should not rush into situations like this without actual, legitimate evidence. Instead, we should just-." He cut off his speech in surprise and looked up with the rest of his companions at the sound of a light chuckle.

The sound was coming from a new cat, one that was not invited to the gathering. Her normally golden-brown fur was a dark brownish hue from the lack of bright light in their little hollow. She padded slowly up to the group before jumping onto the nearby fallen log. Beetlestar got up with an angry flick of his tail.

"Heatherstar! What in the name of our ancestors are you doing here? How did you know we were meeting today?" Heatherstar just gave him a look.

"That is not important. What you should be discussing is what you're going to do about the Dark Forest." Evefur scoffed.

"Do you have any proof showing they're going to rise once more? Please, enlighten us!" Heatherstar jumped off the rocks and padded closer than before until she stood next to Beetlestar.

"It's quite simple really. Two nights ago, I had a rather informative conversation with none other than Shiverpelt. He told me-" Heatherstar was interrupted once more by the black and white tom.

"What is the blazes were you doing talking to that crazy tom? He's so paranoid he probably thinks that forest is going to ignite into flames tomorrow!" Heatherstar sent him a withering look.

"And he told me about a very interesting meeting that he eavesdropped on when he went on one of those forbidden exertions to the dark forest. Apparently he overheard the cats talking about a 'secret weapon' that they've decided to create in the Clans. According to him, they've chosen one kit from all the Clans and given her a power. They plan on using it to control her, and get into the heart of the Clans!" Lilystem frowned worriedly.

"But who could possibly fall for that? Kits are definitely more gullible, but surely they know the difference between evil and good. StarClan cats look much different from Dark Forest cats, after all." Heatherstar shook her head.

"I do not know how they think they can control any cat, for though they look like any normal cat, they carry an aura of evil that anyone, especially an uninfluenced kit, would be able to sense. I admit that this plan seems very far-fetched to me as well. But who is to say that the Dark Forest cats do not have something hidden that we know not of. All that I ask of you is to watch them, and watch them carefully. Look at all the newborn kits and find out which one is the one they have chosen, and we shall do all that we can to keep it on the side of good." Heatherstar gave them all a deep, piercing stare. "I trust you all with this task. Do not fail me."

And with that, she jumped off of the rock and darted out of the area, disappearing just as suddenly as she had appeared. The rest of the cats looked at each other with renewed determination in their eyes. With nods of farewell, they all broke apart in their separate groups, going back with the cats whom which they had came. Gingerspots approached Leaftail as they turned back the way they had come. Together the two TreeClan cats walked through the vines and continued on their way as if they had never deterred off of their path at all. Gingerspots turned to Leaftail and leaned closer to her in order to reach the smaller she-cat's ear.

"Do you think that there is anything to be concerned about?" Her worried mew caused Leaftail to give her a solemn look.

"I hope not. But if there is, we must be ready." The two cats continued on their path, discussing their plans for examining the new additions to their Clan to see if the suspicions were true. What they didn't see were the dark amber eyes gleaming triumphantly from the bushes near them. And as the two she-cats padded away, a large form broke off from the shadows and slunk off through the undergrowth, plans already forming in its mind on how to crush StarClan once and for all.


	3. Chapter 1

**Hello to all readers! I'm so sorry for not updating in a long time, but I hope to make it up to you this year with regular bi-weekly updates of what I hope will be a good story. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors; this is a fan based product from which no profit is being made.**

Chapter 1

_Darkness. Darkness is everywhere. It covered everything. There was no light to be found. The atmosphere was thick, heavy, and it pressed into her, a weight on her shoulders and back, pressing down, down. She was trapped, lost in an endless, silent abyss in which nothing could reach her and she could reach and see nothing. And suddenly through the gloom a roaring sound became prominent, a relentless, loud crash of water cascading into her tight, enclosed area. She tried to get out of the way, but her legs seem to be covered by something, preventing her from moving from her trapped position. Waves, frothy upsurge from the sea crashed into her body, covering her with liquid, pulling her down, drowning her, covering her so that she could not breathe. As her panting grew harsher, turned to gurgles as she swallowed more water then air, she could see a white light getting steadily brighter, brighter, and then-_

Amberkit shot awake, eyes wide with fright and mouth open in a silent scream of terror. She could hear her own harsh panting, heart beating frantically underneath her pelt, flank heaving as if she had exerted herself in life as she had in her dream. Looking frantically around her, she slowly calmed as she was greeted with the comforting sight of the hanging brambles that covered the top of the TreeClan nursery.

Sighing and allowing her body to relax, she slumped back into her moss nest, snuggling back with her black furred sister, Emberkit, who mewed quietly in her sleep and nuzzled Amberkit's flank. Even as she let out a fond smile, Amberkit's mind whirred and churned with confused thoughts and reasoning's. Why was she being plagued with such nightmares each night? Every single one was the same, a cat trapped in a small space somewhere, unable to get out as the cavern filled with water and the poor feline drowned.

She had no idea why these dreams were coming to haunt her, but she wanted to know why. Was it StarClan? Amberkit flicked her tail in thought, and resolved to speak to the medicine cat about it by the end of the day.

Now, looking outside the den, she could still see the lack of sunlight and knew that it was still nowhere near dawn. So wearily, she allowed her drowsiness to wash over her once more, and finally she fell back to sleep.

"Amberkit, wake up! Amberkit, Lilyfire says that I can't go outside until you're awake so get up now!" Amberkit startled as she was pulled from her dreamless sleep by the sound of her sister's loud mews. She opened her eyes to see Emberkit standing above her, large blue eyes eagerly watching her sister wake.

"Good, you're up! Lilyfire, she's up, can we play now?" Amberkit looked around the den, noting the forms of other cats still curled up in attempt to stay in their slumber. On the far corner of the den was Daisyflower, a gray and brown she-cat with her kit, Birdkit, a ginger she-cat. The other side of the den held the other nursing queen, Dovefoot, whose kits were a black she-cat named Nightkit and a tortoiseshell she-cat, Rosekit. Next to Amberkit was her mother, Lilyfire, whose beautiful golden pelt Amberkit shared.

With all of Emberkit's yelling, the rest of the cats in the nursery were being disturbed from their sleep. Lilyfire, who barely had one eye open, looked outside the nest quickly before turning back to Emberkit.

"Don't get into any trouble, I want you in front of the nursery by sunhigh and for goodness sake don't wake any of the Warriors!" Emberkit let out a squeal, only to find her sister's tail in her mouth.

"Yes Lilyfire, we'll be careful." Amberkit whispered to Lilyfire before dragging her sister outside. "You have to be complacent if you want to get anywhere with adults. Now why did you want to come out here so badly?" She took a look around the camp, staring at the immense trees that acted as the main boundaries of the edges of the camp. The tree roots were so large that when the first TreeClan cats came, they had dug under them and the large spaces made were perfect for dens.

"I was bored." Emberkit bounded over to one of the tree roots, jumping and clawing her way up the root so that she was about a foxtail above Amberkit. Once stable, she puffed out her chest. "I am Emberstar, leader of EmberClan. Amberkit, do you wish to be a part of my Clan?" Amberkit pretended to think about it, looking around at the little area that they were in.

"Your territory is not very pleasing. If I join, will I be a warrior?" Emberkit jumped off and after stumbling a bit, faced Amberkit.

"Even better. You can be my deputy, Amberstorm. Together we'll rule the forest." At the sound of a little yawn, they turned to see Birdkit stumbling out of the nursery. "Excellent. Birdkit, you can be my medicine cat!" Birdkit sleepily stared at Emberkit before nodding. Emberkit began cheering, but Amberkit wasn't paying attention as she watched a few warriors across the clearing coming out of their dens, yawning. One, a tom with a distinctive black pelt, was with them. Amberkit squealed, and ran over to the sleepy cats.

"Rainshadow!" She weaved her way through the now glaring cats to stop at her father, who by then had turned to look at her, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"What in the world has brought you out here before the dawn patrol has even left camp?" Rainshadow rubbed her head lightly with his tail, sending her an affectionate look. By then Emberkit and Birdkit had also migrated over, and Birdkit was greeting her father Whitepelt just as eagerly as Amberkit did Rainshadow.

Amberkit gestured to Emberkit with her tail. "She got bored and woke us up. Are you going on patrol? Can we come?" Rainshadow and a few other warriors chuckled.

"Amberkit, you are far too young to be traipsing through the forest. Be patient, you will become an apprentice in time." All three kits let out wails of disappointment, and Emberkit gave a huff of annoyance.

"But that's ages away! What are we going to do in the camp for 4 moons?" Rainshadow and Whitepelt exchanged glances, before a sneaky glint came to their eyes.

"You know what? We could use your help." Rainshadow gestured for the kits to follow him, and he led them across the camp to an area that the warriors had not yet patched up. Bramble and tendrils of vines had been threaded between the roots of the trees, but this area, having been recently ruined by a storm, had not yet been fully repaired.

"This patch of the camp has yet to be repaired. Any gap in the defenses of the camp could allow enemies to come in." He gave them a serious look even as behind him, many of the dawn patrol were laughing or giving him impressed looks. "That is why I want you to take loose brambles you find on the floor of the camp and carefully weave it into the loose parts." Rainshadow had to hold back a laugh at the looks of determination that appeared on the faces of the three she-cats.

"We can do it Rainshadow!" They shouted in sync to the amusement of the watching cats. Rainshadow nodded to all three of them.

"Quietly and carefully take brambles and such off the floor and carefully weave them in between the roots. Like this." He demonstrated by picking up a loose bramble and threading it nicely through the others already there. "Do you understand?" At the enthusiastic nods of agreement by the kits, he left them to it.

As the day went on, the kits scurried all over the camp, cleaning it nicely from the brambles that littered the floor after the storm that had ravaged their camp two moons prior. None of the other cats objected, as it was a chore that needed to get done sooner or later, and it was keeping the kits out of trouble. Many watched while sharing tongues as the she-cats picked up everything and reinforced the wall.

Amberkit dashed happily over the camp, looking at the ground for something to build with. She noticed a tendril by the wall of the warriors den, and she went to it, using her paw to tug on it. But as she was pulling it out of the ground where it had been buried, she felt a sudden flash of pain in her paw.

"Oow!" She exclaimed, immediately dropping the tendril only to find that it was no normal vine, but rather a thorny one. A big thorn was lodged in her paw, and as she stared at it, she could see droplets of blood well up before falling off of her pad. Lilyfire, who had been calmly washing herself then, darted to her daughter and looked at the paw.

"Amberkit, go to the medicine cat den. Darkwhisper will take care of it for you." Amberkit limped over to the medicine cat den, smelling even from where she was the sweet scent of herbs that always filled the area. Carefully she ducked under the fern that sheltered the entrance and limped into the den.

"Darkwhisper, I have a thorn in my paw. Can you help me?" Amberkit called after not seeing the black she-cat anywhere. She heard rustling from the back of the den. Darkwhisper stuck her head out, and upon seeing Amberkit, padded out to the kit. She looked sternly down at her.

"How did this happen? You didn't try and mess with the thorn bush again, did you?" Amberkit flicked her ears at the reminder of last week's instance with the game of hide- and- seek and the thorn bush just near the rear of the camp.

"No Darkwhisper. We were helping rebuild the weak parts of the camp walls. I accidentally stepped on this." Amberkit whimpered as Darkwhisper began licking her aching paw, teeth missing the thorn and instead biting her pad.

"Sorry little one. Hold on one moment." Murmured Darkwhisper, and a moment later she had it between her jaws. Amberkit sighed in relief. She watched as the medicine cat moved over to her herb storage area and pulled two yellow leaves from inside a groove on the tree root. As Darkwhisper chewed on the leaves, Amberkit remembered her dream and that she wanted to talk to Darkwhisper about it.

"Darkwhisper, medicine cats have dreams from StarClan, right?" The black furred she-cat sent her a confused look as she applied the poultice to her paw.

"Yes, we do. But I do not see how that concerns you at all." Darkwhisper picked up a cobweb and gently wrapped it around Amberkit's paw so that the poultice would stay. Amberkit flicked an ear nervously but continued anyway.

"I've been having this dream every night, the same nightmare." Darkwhisper's encouraging look strengthened her resolve to carry on. "In it, I'm a cat, stuck somewhere, trapped in something- a cave or something- with little air and it feels so suffocating. Then water begins filling up the small space, and I feel like I'm getting wet but I can't move to escape it because my paws are stuck, and the water is filling to the top and I'm _drowning_ and I can't _breathe, I'm suffocating_ and-oh!" Darkwhisper had tapped Amberkit roughly on the head to break off her monologue, which had begun to turn panicky. Amberkit's pelt burned with embarrassment, but she looked up anyway into Darkwhisper's eyes. "What does it mean?"

Darkwhisper flicked her tail, and after assuring herself that the paw was now fine, she sat and faced Amberkit head on. She studied Amberkit's bright golden eyes for a moment, and then she began to speak, looking confident and not overly concerned.

"How many times has this dream come to you? Is it a regularly occurring nightmare?"

"So far I've been seeing this for about a week." Darkwhisper seemed startled by this knowledge. Amberkit, oblivious, went on. "And I know that it's probably not important, probably just some hidden fear that I have." She looked questioningly at Darkwhisper. "Can cats have innate fears of things they have not seen?" She mused. Darkwhisper waved a paw in dismissal.

"Nonsense, Amberkit. It's nothing to worry about." Darkwhisper went to the back of her den and came back a few moments later with a leaf. On the leaf was one little poppy seed. "Take this tonight before bed. I'm sure the nightmare will stop. You're probably just taking the elders tales too seriously." Amberkit nodded in consent, feeling satisfied for the moment.

The black furred she-cat led Amberkit to the entrance of the den. "Now then, try not to step on another thorn anytime soon. Make sure you keep the cobwebs on for a few minutes longer before removing them." Amberkit agreed and padded carefully out of the den, leaf in her mouth, heading towards the nursery.

"Remember to take that before bed!" Darkwhisper reminded her, receiving a tail-wave in acknowledgement. The medicine cat waited until her patient disappeared into the nursery before retreating into her private domain.

Darkwhisper had no idea what the dreams could mean, but she had decided to wait before taking any drastic measures. StarClan wouldn't send important visions to kits anyway, so Darkwhisper doubted that it was significant. _No_, the she-cat mused, _the real question is why StarClan hasn't contacted any of us in the last four moons except for when we go to the moonpool. They always say they have important things to tell us, but they never actually get to it since their sessions with us are cut short. What is happening up there? _

The medicine cat was not oblivious to the slow stirrings of evil that were becoming obvious all over the boarders of StarClan. Many times she had seen glinting eyes, cats straying closer to the border between the Dark Forest and StarClan's territory then they had in many moons. _Perhaps_, she figured, _StarClan is busy fighting off the Dark Forest and that is why they are not talking to us. _Darkwhisper wasn't sure though. _Eventually_, she decided, _if things begin to go wrong, I could go to the moonpool on my own and demand answers_.

With that last thought, the aged she-cat picked herself up and padded out of the den. She was hoping for one of the new kits to become her apprentice, since she knew she was not going to be able to perform her duties the way she used to because of her age. Until they were ready, though, she was going to use apprentices to help her.

"Ashpaw, come help me gather some herbs." She yelled across the camp, startling the black tom from his resting place underneath a tree root. The apprentice jumped up, and after telling his mentor where he was going, dashed to the entrance and waited for Darkwhisper to follow him. She turned to go after him, but paused when she noticed the jumping form of the golden kit outside the nursery.

Darkwhisper shook her head before padding out of the camp. _I'm too old to bother with this._ She grumbled before heading towards the river and stooping to search for what she needed.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"_It's not enough to just let it go. It will never be enough to allow the cats roaming free and healthy in the place of stars and light to just go on their way. Retaliation is the only method. It will solve all of our problems. Revenge will heal us all."_

_The large gray tom assertively stamped his paw down on the large rock upon which he stood. The gathered cats below were silent, listening with sickening glee._ Their leader would bring them the light that they deserved_, they thought. _He would help them triumph where they previously failed.

"_We have cowered in the shadows for long enough. Star Clan has grown, but in our absence they have become lazy and comfortable. Our numbers are greater than ever and our strength unparalleled." The tom looked upon his subjects and smirked._

"_Now is the time that we will strike. With our weapon we will infiltrate the heart of the Clans and get what was once ours. All you must do is exactly what I tell you…"_

"Will all cats old enough to catch prey join beneath the High Rock for a Clan meeting!" Leafstar's strong voice rang out over the camp and shocked Amberkit awake. The ginger kitten rubbed at her face in confusion, thinking of her dream. Who were those cats? She was already forgetting what they were talking about...

"I wish to address something of great importance..." Leafstar mewed loudly. Amberkit scrambled out of the nest, noticing that only her mother and sister were still sleeping inside. Carefully, she crept out of the den, blinking as light permeated her eyes. Leafstar was still speaking, but she had lowered her voice to speak to the cats right in front of her.

Amberkit's ears flattened to the side of her head when she noticed Nightkit and Rosekit loudly complaining about their inability to hear Leafstar's words. Amberkit let out a little snort at their behavior.

"Hey Amberkit, where are you going?" Emberkit asked from behind a tall root. Amberkit jumped on top of the root and surveyed the Clan. If she was careful, she could sneak forward and overhear the conversation.

"Cover for me! I'm going to see what's happening!" Ignoring Emberkit's protests, she jumped off the root.

With a little wriggle, she pushed noiselessly through the hanging vines and padded carefully towards the crowd. She slinked carefully under and around roots of trees until she was closer to the high rock, but she still couldn't hear anything. With a deep breath she carefully picked her way toward the crowd. Most of the cats ignored her, some looking behind them with a brief smirk of amusement before fixing their attention on Leafstar. Amberkit sat down at the edge of the crowd, finally able to hear.

"I regret to inform you of the terrible tragedy that befell another Clan. I received word today that Rainfoot was crushed in a tragic rockslide." Every cat gasped in dismay. Rainfoot was a well known tom from StoneClan, popular for his amicable attitude and excellent skills as a warrior. He had been in line to become the next StoneClan deputy if anything befell the current one.

"He was sheltering in a cave from the heavy rainfall two days ago. He drowned to death. They were unable to recover his body." Cats were murmuring to each other, tails drooping and eyes wide with nervousness. It was always disheartening to remember the suddenness of life.

Leafstar yowled to attract everyone's attention. "This news would have been told at the gathering, but Goldenstone, their deputy, kindly warned us because of the possibility of rockslides near our border. It has been a long time since such rainfall befell our territory, and StoneClan wanted to prevent any more deaths." Murmuring began anew between the watching cats. Amberkit sat on her haunches, confused. Why would an enemy Clan help them?

"This means that we must be more cautious along the border between TreeClan and StoneClan. I want patrols to consist of at least three warriors, and every apprentice must be accompanied at all times by a warrior. Avoid fighting, loud noises, general scuffles and stomps in the area. Anything can provoke a rockslide."

"That will be all for now." Leafstar's loud mew broke through the murmurs of the crowd, and just as quickly as they had arrived, they disappeared. Amberkit was left in the middle of the clearing with a shocked look on her face.

"Amberkit! There you are!" Lilyfire dashed from the entrance of the nursery towards her errant kit, who stood up and looked at her mother. "You were supposed to stay by the nursery! These meetings are not for kits to hear. How'd you get over here without me noticing?"

"She slunk under the roots and then into the crowd of cats. She was very quiet for a kit her age." Amberkit stiffened. Turning, she saw her leader staring down at her with an amused smile.

"You saw me?" She squeaked. She had been sure that she hadn't made too much noise.

"You were very sneaky." Leafstar praised. "However, from my vantage point on the Highrock it was easy to see you moving around." When she saw Amberkit's disappointed look, she moved closer to her. "Remember that if I hadn't seen you it would have been a problem. I'd be a bad Clan leader if a kit could sneak past me!" Amberkit let out a murrow of amusement.

"But I snuck past Lilyfire! And everyone else!" Leafstar smiled.

"Yes you did. Remember to use your small size to your advantage. Your stealthy movement will also be very good for hunting and battle in the future." Amberkit nodded ferociously. Leafstar licked her on the forehead before turning to Lilyfire.

"You have a very adventurous kit. She'll be a fine warrior in the future." Lilyfire stammered out her thanks while Amberkit squealed loudly. She couldn't stop jumping up and down as Lilyfire herded her back towards the nursery.

"Emberkit! Birdkit! Leafstar said that I'm going to be a good warrior!" They bounded over to her and squealed.

"You'd never be a good warrior! Look how small you are!" Rosekit sneered from where she stood in the entrance of their den. Amberkit's ears flattened. It was true that she was a very small kit, and though she was older than Rosekit she was still smaller.

"Leafstar said that she'd help me learn how to use my smallness to my advantage." Rosekit scoffed.

"That's what she wants you to think. She knows you'll be useless, she just hopes that by the time you're a warrior you'll actually be apprentice-sized." Amberkit's ears burned but she bared her teeth at Rosekit.

"I don't see her speaking to you! You're just jealous!" Before Rosekit could speak, Amberkit turned around and darted away. She wasn't in the mood to listen to any more of Rosekit's lies. Behind her, Emberkit and Birdkit followed slowly.

"Do you think I'm too small?" Amberkit asked, looking up at her fluffy gray sibling. Even Nightkit was larger than her!

"I think that even if you are small, Leafstar and any warrior training you will make you a good warrior." Birdkit mewed. Amberkit huffed.

"Well you're big! It's easy for you to say." Birdkit blinked at her.

"I want to become a medicine cat. I don't like hurting people." Amberkit groaned and flopped down under a root.

"Why does Rosekit have to ruin everything?" Emberkit jumped on the root above her.

"Rosekit is a mean cat. Don't let her get to you. Maybe she'll change and be nicer, or even just quiet like her sister." Amberkit snorted. _I'd be quiet too if I had a snappy sister like Rosekit!_

"So do you guys want to know what Leafstar was talking about? It's crazy!" Emberkit leaned down eagerly, and Birdkit moved closer.

"Apparently Rainfoot died a few days ago. And StoneClan actually told us early to warn us about the possible rockslides! Since when do other Clans give out warnings?"

"StoneClan have been our allies for a long time. We are peaceful with each other and help where we can. Typically, MarshClan and RussetClan ally together as well, but if you speak of it at a Gathering they will insist that they simply remain neutral and that our alliance is very prominent." Amberkit squeaked and turned around. Thunderstrike, Leafstar's dark brown tabby mate, was standing right behind them! "You'd know this if you were paying attention to yesterdays lessons."

Amberkit scuffled her feet. She had been forced along with the rest of the kits to try a new program instilled by the elders where twice a week the kits would be taught allegiances, the warrior code, general world do's and don'ts, and anything a cat needed to run their Clan. The elders figured that the Clan would benefit from new warriors that were already engrossed in Clan politics. The only problem was that the kits had found it both boring and tedious and tended to not pay attention. She resolved to focus more in the future.

"So that means that if they hadn't told us, it would have been a violation of our peace treaty?" Thunderstrike nodded.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes, , you do listen. Perhaps tomorrow you'll participate more." Amberkit nodded ruefully, but considered that maybe listening would teach her useful things. And Thunderstrike would like her more! He held a lot of influence within the Clans, and if he liked her it would be a big advantage. Maybe he could even become her mentor!

Thunderstrike mewed his goodbye and padded towards Leafstar. Amberkit stared after him, thinking hard. Recently there had been many attacks on various cats, all seemingly unrelated. One tom had drowned, a she cat had been hit by a monster, and now Rainfoot with the rockslide. The elders had been muttering for days with anxiety over the seemingly chaotic bad luck going around the Clans. The only Clan that had been spared from the attacks thus far was TreeClan.

What really worried Amberkit was not the attacks themselves, but rather the affects of them. The Clans were becoming more paranoid. What once was a fun outing in the forest could now be a stroll to your potential doom. Border skirmishes had however, decreased, and Amberkit remembered hearing that the other Clans were acting more polite to one another. Gatherings especially were filled with fake friendships and pretend easygoing attitudes. Yet TreeClan remained unaffected.

"Amberkit?" The golden she-cat turned to see her gray sister batting a moss ball around. Next to her, Darkwhisper was staring warily at Amberkit, large blue eyes peering cautiously at the little she-cat. "Are you ok?" Amberkit bounded over and nodded.

"I'm feeling fine actually. Did you need something?" Darkwhisper shook her head.

"I just wanted to ask you if your dreams have been continuing." Amberkit scratched at her ear in sudden thought.

"No actually. I stopped having that weird nightmare two days ago. I slept fine last night." Darkwhisper's tail lashing at the ground was the only indication of her sudden angst.

"Good. Amberkit, if you begin having more weird dreams come and find me immediately." Amberkit nodded before jumping away, distracted by the tantalizing presence of the moss ball. Darkwhisper continued to stare at her.

Was it a coincidence that Amberkit's dreams coincided with Rainfoot's death? Probably. Was it weird that they stopped on the day of his death? Yes. But until something else happened, Darkwhisper knew that she could take her suspicions to noone. To tell StarClan of such a kit would ruin Amberkits life, and if she was wrong, Darkwhisper knew that it would haunt her forever. No matter what, this mystery would reveal itself, one death at a time. She only hoped that StarClan was ready for what was coming.


End file.
